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Interview Tips for Students Applying to PhD Programs in Psychology
Preparing for interviews for a PhD program in psychology can be very stressful as well as very exciting. This is likely the first time that you will be interacting face to face with multiple professors and graduate students from the program you are applying for, and it is important to make a good impression. It…
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Biased results — field of psych takes the heat
The pressure to publish positive findings (instead of null results) is present across scientific discipline, but several researchers have argued that the field of Psychology is the most biased offender. An article posted last week in Nature.com discussed these biases – and presents two potential solutions one of which was suggested by UCLA researcher Dr.…
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Revisit: fMRI and the “lit up” brain
I wrote a post a few months ago about some common misconceptions about functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and one of my main points was that the term ‘lights up”, which is often used when describing the areas of the brain that respond to a task, is misleading. Here is what I said on the subject:…
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Quick Tips for Becoming Poll-Literate
If you’re a political junkie like me, or just a casual election-follower, you’ve probably read a few polls that made your jaw drop. Here are some things a skeptical poll consumer should look for before letting their jaw fully drop. Selection Bias One of the first questions you should ask yourself when you read…
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“…the difference between significant and not significant is not itself necessarily significant.”
The quote above comes from a perspective published in Nature Neuroscience this past summer by Nieuwenhuis and colleagues. They detail a surprisingly common mistake in the statistical analyses carried out by some studies published in prominent journals. It might be easier to first illustrate the mistake with an example. Let’s say I give a control…
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I WANT MY FAME TV: VALUES ON TV FOR CHILDREN 1967-2007
It’s an age-old refrain — adults claim that kids today are completely different from when they were growing up, usually for the worse. And that claim often extends to the TV shows that kids are exposed to – more sex, less depth, endless shows about celebrities and reality TV show stars. But hasn’t Hollywood always…
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How not to conduct research: Online ethics edition
Note: Everything in the following article and the provided links (at least at the time of posting) is work-safe, though some links may contain explicit language. However, please exercise caution in clicking other links found on the web pages referenced here! A quick Google search for recent Boston University grads Ogi Ogas and Sai Gaddam…
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Research about teen texting from Society for Research on Child Development
This was first posted on Society for Research on Adolescence’s blog… here is link if you want to read more about news from conference from other bloggers as well. SRCD in Montreal, Day 1! One of the first symposiums I attended, bright and early this morning at 8AM, was about a topic that I am…
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More school, better test scores?
The results of the recent PISA tests, an international assessment comparing countries around the world in reading, math and science, posted extraordinary scores for students in Shanghai, China. Meanwhile, 15 year olds in the US ranked 23 out of 34 countries! Why is the US falling so far behind other countries in Math and Science? …
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Should we blame the media?
The NY Times using nearly all anecdotal evidence based on one child, says the media may be responsible for poor grades and lack of focus. Don Tapscott rebutes this argument and cites much research. This is such an interesting example of how even a respected newspaper like the NY Times can flame the fire. I…